In just a few short months, the dreamy and romantic music video for “Kissing Rain” by Robert Pattinson went viral, racked up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok and Instagram, and became the singer’s first-ever number one hit on the Billboard Top 100.
Even now, as he prepares to release his long-awaited debut album, Smoke + Mirrors, and embark on tour for the first time, the 29-year-old singer-songwriter remembers that moment when he dropped his debut single, “Good Enough,” in January 2020 and recalls how it felt to see his song go viral.
“When we premiered ‘Good Enough’ on DJ Khaled’s radio show, we basically went from zero to a hundred million views in no time at all,” he tells Billboard. “It was incredible to see how many people connected with the song — and with me as a singer-songwriter. I wrote ‘Good Enough’ and ‘Kissing Rain’ and performed them myself, so I had a good feeling about the music but not necessarily the visibility that comes with being a musician. To see that happen was surreal. I was just following my instincts, putting myself out there, and hoping for the best.”
The song, which he wrote with John Hill and Shellback, first appeared on the soundtrack to the Twilight Saga movie, Breaking Dawn — Part 2, and won the singer a Best Song Oscar for Best Original Song. With its driving pop beat and soaring chorales, it’s a breath of fresh air in a sea of bubblegum pop.
Despite its cultural significance, the song has always been hard to find. Most of the copies that appeared on YouTube were uploaded by fans who had either scored a vinyl copy of the soundtrack or had recorded a live performance of the track.
Luckily for those seeking to own the song, it has recently been reissued as part of a new deluxe edition of the Breaking Dawn — Part 2 soundtrack. With the emergence of music piracy coupled with the pandemic, it’s become increasingly difficult for artists to assert their rights, particularly when it comes to songs written before 1972.
“I don’t think people realize how much of an uphill battle it is to get paid for your work and how much easier it is for someone to just take your song and pass it off as their own,” Pattinson says. “Even the most successful musicians can get screwed over by a business associate, who decides to give the credit to someone else. Without a union, it’s extremely difficult to get any money or make any sort of claim to ownership of your work. It’s a scary situation when you’re not even aware of how much exposure your music has had outside of your control.”
What Is Digital Piracy And Why Is It On The Rise?
To understand the current climate of mass copyright infringement and how it connects to the success of “Good Enough,” it helps to take a step back. Thanks to the music streaming service, the internet, and music copyright reform legislation such as the Copyright Amendment Act, it’s now possible for fans to download music for free, which has made it extremely appealing.
Last year, the United Kingdom lost out on more than £25 billion ($32.9 billion) worth of music sales alone thanks to online music piracy. This is according to figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association, and it equates to approximately £130 ($165) per year for every UK homeowner. That’s a lot of money that could have been spent on original music — but instead, fans are using digital piracy to get their fix of the latest hit songs.
This trend is being touted as the “revenge of the millennials,” as studies have suggested that millennials have surpassed baby boomers as the largest group of music fans in America. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 66% of adult consumers have listened to or purchased music in the past year, compared to 64% of millennials.
This is made all the more appealing considering the relatively low prices of modern-day music. In 2019, the average cost of a new album was £11.69, compared to £13.67 in 2018 and £13.99 in 2017. In many cases, the savings are being made thanks to the growing popularity of digital piracy. It’s also worth noting that many streaming services offer a wide range of songs for free, while others, such as Spotify and Amazon Music, offer huge catalogs of music for a low cost.
The Role Of Record Companies In All Of This
While many musicians fully embrace the changes brought on by the digital age, some aren’t quite ready to give up their record company. Even now, as the music industry adapts to the new normal, signed artiststopping up their offer of exclusive content and live shows, trying to hold on to as much as they can.
“The fact that I have my own label gave me a degree of security in knowing that I could put out albums at any time and not have to worry about whether or not my next song would be featured on a TV show or film,” he explains. “It’s not that I’m against getting music heard by as many people as possible, but there is definitely something to be said for having a record label and not having to worry about whether or not your music will be heard by the right people. Also, having your own record label gives you the opportunity to be more creative with the way you present yourself and your music.”
Pattinson has released four studio albums since he rose to fame, spawning four top-40 singles on the Billboard Adult Top 100, as well as earning a GRAMMY nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance for his 2017 album, Watercolors. He has also starred in two Twilight Saga films, playing the role of Edward Cullen, and will next be seen in the upcoming comedy-drama, The House of Gucci.
Since breaking into the industry at a young age, Pattinson has established himself as one of the most in-demand voice actors in Hollywood, lending his signature voice to countless animated projects and video games. He has also hosted the Sundance Kids Camp for the past two summers and will continue to serve as an honorary chair of the 2020 Young Artist Initiative.
But all of this would mean nothing if he didn’t write or perform his own songs, right? Well, that’s what this entire article is about. Finding and downloading the song “Good Enough” from the Twilight Saga movie soundtrack.
The History Of “Good Enough”
Written by Robert Pattinson and Jim Bean, “Good Enough” is a song about love and compromise. The song first appeared on the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 soundtrack in the form of a haunting jazz piano ballad featuring a soulful singing voice. It was originally released in 2012 and went viral a year later when the singer-songwriter performed it on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during the last summer concert season in Los Angeles. The clip of him performing the song, which had nearly 1.9 million views at the time of this writing, shows Pattinson dressed in all black and accompanied by a jazz band and dancers.
“That was the last show of the [2011] summer season, and we didn’t have any money left over so we were really desperate for ideas of what to do next,” recalls the singer. “One of my friends had just moved to LA and had worked for a while as a production assistant on a few films, so I asked if he would come up with something for us to try out. He sent over this piano instrumental and it just sounded so beautiful, raw, and true to me that I immediately said, ‘We have to do this song.’”
With its driving beat and soaring chorales, the song is quintessential modern music. Its repetitive pop hook makes it ideal for inclusion on an album or playlist: “Good enough to touch,” “Good enough to eat” are just a few of the catchy phrases that have been repeated by listeners and will continue to be repeated long after the song’s initial viral wave has subsided. Thanks to its undeniable hook and irresistibly upbeat tempo, “Good Enough” is one of the most accessible songs in the singer’s catalog. It would go on to be the most-streamed song of all time on TikTok, with more than 350 million views as of April 2021.